“Yep, I’m ready.” At Charlie’s confirmation, I pull out of the parking lot with her Mercedes SUV right behind me. “Hmm, you must really like this Hal if you’re this secretive about him. Good for you, girl. It’s high time you started getting some.”
She’s been gently pushing me to start dating for the past month. Charlie thinks dating will help me get over everything that happened. I don’t have the heart to tell her that I don’t think I will ever believe in relationships and happily ever afters, at least not anymore.
But I’ve refused to go on any dates, much to her dismay. I know I’ll eventually give in because I’m still a pushover, as hard as I’m working not to be, but I’m staying strong for now.
I groan, wishing she’d just drop it. “I’m not getting any, Char. And he’s just a guy from the dealership who doesn’t understand boundaries.”
While it’s technically true that he’s a dude from the dealership, it’s not the whole story. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest in excitement when Charlie said I had a text from him, which is exactly why I need to stay away from him.
She makes a noise of disagreement but lets the subject drop.
The ride to her house is pretty uneventful until a pickup truck in oncoming traffic drives into my lane and almost takes me out.I shout in surprise and swerve to avoid him. Luckily, I’m able to dodge the head-on collision, and the truck driver quickly goes back to his lane.
“What a fucking cupcake!” Charlie yells. She’s called anyone she doesn’t like a cupcake since before we were allowed to swear, and it stuck. I even use it now, too. “That motherfucker better watch out because I saw his plate. There’s no way that wasn’t intentional.”
Once I catch my breath from seeing my life flash before my eyes, I try to calm her down. “Charlie, I’m fine. Please don’t murder some rando who was probably on his phone, not intentionally trying to run me over.”
“If you say so. I’m still dying to try out a new way I figured out to dissolve a body. He seems like a perfect candidate.” Charlie isn’t a psychopath, or at least not because of her knowledge of getting rid of corpses. She just loves forensic science.
Her parents bought her an entire lab, complete with staff, for her to tinker in. She treats it like a day job, but she’s way too rich to have a true nine-to-five.
“You can’t kill someone just because they’re a bad driver,” I protest.
“Oh, but I disagree. I definitely can. Is it even a crime if I’m not caught?” she asks as we pull up to the house she shares with her brother.
It’s a two-story brick structure with black shutters and a bright red front door. It’s in the heart of Willow Bend’s downtown and only about ten minutes from my apartment.
The two of them moved down here with me six months ago. I needed to get out of Oakridge Park and wasn’t in any shape to choose somewhere to move. Charlie and Coop took care of picking the place, finding us a house, and uprooting their entire lives, no questions asked.
I don’t know what I did to deserve such an awesome best friend, but I am endlessly grateful to have her and her whole family in my life.
Carson and Clara Finch, Charlie and Coop’s parents, wanted to move down here with us, too, but they’re needed to govern the streak. They still visit almost every weekend, making sure all three of us have everything we need.
“It’s definitely still a crime.” I park my bike and pull off my helmet as she gets out of the car.
“Agree to disagree.” Charlie stomps up the cobblestone walkway to her front door, clearly still pissed at the guy in the truck.
Luckily for that dude, she forgets about it as soon as she sees her brother. Coop has the same blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin dusted with freckles as Charlie, but he’s over half a foot taller and much more muscular.
“Baby S!” Coop cheers when he sees me, completely ignoring his sister. She rolls her eyes at him but doesn’t say anything as he pulls me into a warm hug.
I huff at the nickname he’s called me since I was little. “I’m not the baby of the family, Coop.”
“Jay’s a prick, so he doesn’t count. You were born after Wren, so you’re baby S. Duh.” Coop ruffles my long wavy hair affectionately after he releases me from the hug.
I choke on my laugh at Coop’s apt description of my younger brother. He apparently got all of the dickhead personality traits from my parents, which made him the favorite child. We never got along, and I haven’t missed him a moment in the six months I haven’t talked to him.
Wren, my older sister, however, I’ve missed every single day.
Once Coop lets go of me, I glance around the fairly understated entryway. Dark woodwork, pale blue walls, and whitewashed furniture make the space inviting. Even thoughCharlie and Coop have a full-time maid, shoes, coats, and bags are scattered around the foyer haphazardly, giving their home a lived-in feel.
“Guess who got a new bike?” Charlie looks like she drank a six-pack of energy drinks with how she’s practically bouncing off the walls in excitement.
Coop just rolls his eyes at his sister, who admittedly has a bit of a shopping problem. Although he’s not really one to judge when he has at least seven different Kawasaki bikes in their garage. “What’d you buy this time?”
Charlie huffs and glares at her brother as though he’s being purposely dense. “Not me, you dumdum. Jojo did!”
She’s called me Jo or Jojo, from my middle name, since we were kids. She wanted me to have a cool boy name like her, and it stuck.
